The Legend of the Armor
"The Legend of the Armor" is the seventeenth episode of Ronin Warriors. It was originally broadcasted on syndicated television during the summer of 1995, and was eventually aired through reruns on the SciFi channel, as well as part of Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block. Summary As the Ronin Warriors continue their assault on the Dynasty, the situation becomes dire. Talpa starts to regain control over the armors, one by one. Now only one Ronin stands between him and the Mortal Realm. Synopsis After having been sent flying out of Talpa's lair, Ryo slides down the roof of the castle, and though he manages to grip the edge for a brief second, he ultimately lands hard on the tiles below. Sekhmet approaches him and aims at him with two of his swords, but Cye steps in to defend his friend. The two renew their battle as Cye sends Ryo back after the Dynasty Emperor. Wildfire jumps up, heading towards the top of the castle once again. He leaps onto a pillar and pauses for a moment before launching another assault. He breaks through the wall, ready for a fight. However, Talpa is nowhere to be found. Ryo glances around, seemingly unaware when the Dynasty Emperor appears behind him. But then he senses the disturbance and turns his head. Talpa begins to laugh. Wildfire quickly springs into action and lands a direct hit. A strange wind picks up, Talpa's hair blowing forward. Ryo slashes at it, but is soon caught in it as the strands wrap around him. Talpa questions Wildire on his decision to fight alone, as he's not strong enough to win. He wants the Ronin to suffer before he dies. In a flash of red light, Ryo is once again sent flying out of the castle, Cye calling out to him as he notices Wildfire in trouble. However, Torrent is unable to help due to his fight with the Warlord of Venom. Ryo plummets towards the ground, crashing into various structures as he falls. Down below on the streets of Toyama, White Blaze senses danger and starts roaring in response. Yuli asks Mia if she can hear the tiger, then says that the Ronins need their help. Mia's quiet for a while, which makes Yuli impatient. She says that she was aware that it would be hard once the Ronins made it to the castle. She finally agrees with Yuli that they need to help and wonders if there is a way for the two of them to get inside. Yuli's confident that there is and calls the tiger over to them. Together, the two civilians ride on White Blaze's back as he races towards the bridge into Talpa's castle. A fierce wind picks up out of nowhere, but it doesn't deter them. Once they're closer, White Blaze leaps up and into the beam of light, which transports the three up to the castle above the clouds. White Blaze dashes across a roof, dodging the spears thrown at them by Dynasty soldiers. Eventually, the tiger leaps onto one of the soldiers, knocking it over. The tiger proceeds to run away from the remaining soldiers, Yuli mocking them as they go. Meanwhile, Kento is still facing off against Dais while Sage battles Kale. All four fighters are still going strong, with neither side showing signs of weakening any time soon. Rowen joins in the action, firing off arrows at the Warlord of Darkness before attacking one of the soldiers in the area. From his lair, Talpa watches the struggles between the Ronins and his Warlords. He's surprised to see that the Warlords are having so much trouble, even with the power of the Nether Spirits coursing through them. He's aware, though, that the Ronin Armors are getting stronger and figures it might be better to let them keep fighting in order to strengthen their power, thus empowering his own armor. The four Ronin Warriors continue their fight against the three Dark Warlords and the Dynasty soldiers. Rowen eventually looks to Cye and asks about Ryo's whereabouts. Cye tells him that Wildfire went after Talpa and expresses his concern before he's forced to refocus on keeping Sekhmet at bay. As Sage parries another blow from Kale, he says to the others that they won't be able to keep up the fight by themselves and that they'll need Ryo's help. Rowen suggests going to find him right away, and the others agree. The four gather together, back-to-back, as their armors flash their respective colors. The Warlords each launch an attack simultaneously, but are unable to stop the Ronins from breaking away from the battlefield and going after their friend. The Warlords start to go after them, only to be stopped by Talpa. Kale questions why. The Dynasty Emperor tells him to be patient, then commends the three on their efforts. They have more than proved their worth to the Dynasty. However, Talpa informs them that the Ronin Warriors are now too strong for them, and he must change tactics if he wishes to defeat them. Sekhmet states his confidence that the Warlords can beat the teens, but Talpa still says that it won't work. He demands that the Warlords hand over their armors. This, naturally, confuses the three. Talpa explains that he will be taking over the fight, and so the Warlords give in to his will. Talpa calls for the power of the three armors, and one by one he absorbs the three Dark Warlords. Instantly, the Dynasty Emperor's body begins to reform itself as his hands return. Talpa sets his sights on the Ronin Warriors next. In a lower section of the castle, Ryo lays still from his fall, barely conscious and in a lot of pain. Yuli calls his name as he and Mia approach, still riding White Blaze. Mia asks if he's all right. The two get off the tiger's back and rush to the fallen Ronin's side. Yuli repeats Mia's question, and Ryo's eyes open quickly as he hears the boy's voice. He slowly pushes himself up with Mia's help while she asks what happened. He doesn't answer, simply stating that they shouldn't have come and tells them to leave. However, White Blaze suddenly starts growling, which warns the others of the presence of the Dynasty soldiers. The small group finds they have been completely surrounded. Ryo prepares to fight once more as the soldiers charge. The other Ronin Warriors arrive at that moment, swiftly taking out several soldiers. Rowen checks on Ryo and the two civilians. Before he can answer, Wildfire cringes due to his injuries. As the soldiers continue to advance, Strata unleashes his special attack, taking out a bunch of them in one move. Ryo turns to Kento, who reassures him that they're ready to finish this. Rowen agrees that it's time to unite their power. The soldiers keep attacking, but they're no match for the Ronins. The five armors begin to glow and, as the virtues of Justice, Trust, Wisdom, and Life flash, a protective prism is raised around Ryo, Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze from the other four armors. Talpa isn't concerned, as he knows that he will become invinsible once he has all the armors back in his possession. He turns his thoughts to Anubis, who he knows would side with the Ronins, but he's trapped within the Nether Spirits' cavern and, as far as Talpa's concerned, unable to help. However, Anubis' armor begins to resonate, alerting him to the danger the Ronin Warriors now face. He's not afraid of the Nether Spirits, stating them to be weaker than him. His virtue of Loyalty flashes as he begins to fight back. Finally, Anubis is able to destroy the Nether Spirits and leave their pool behind. Back on the battlefield, Ryo notices that his Armor of Wildfire is healing his body and giving him the strength to fight again. He leaps up into the air to complete the prism. Lightning strikes the area, wiping out the remaining Dynasy soldiers. Talpa asks Ryo if he wishes to see the true power of the armor, stating that the Dynasty Emperor can show him if he surrenders the Armor of Wildfire. Ryo demands to know what he's talking about. Talpa cackles, stating that he expected the Ancient One to inform the Ronins that the armors all originally belonged to him. Yuli denies the claim, but Talpa simily states that it's true. The monk tried to keep it away from him, but Talpa is confident that he will reclaim it. Suddenly, the ground begins to split open and from it arises one of Talpa's gigantic hands. The prism is broken apart as the group is forced to scatter, Ryo grabbing Yuli and Rowen grabbing Mia. But Ryo and Yuli don't get away fast enough. Talpa's hand smashes Ryo into the ground, and he lets go of the boy. As Talpa lifts Wildfire into the air again, Sage leaps up and tries to free him, but his sword does no damage. Kento grabs Yuli and gets him to safety as Ryo is slammed around a little more. Mia reacts with fear, but Rowen reassures her that everything will be fine. Kento and Cye attack the giant hand, and Torrent manages to use his spear to pry Talpa's fingers open long enough for Ryo to escape. However, Talpa overpowers him and snaps Cye's spear in half. And a second later, Ryo is suddenly overcome with pain as the Armor of Wildfire is surrounded by electricity. Kento asks what happened, and Rowen states that the armor's going crazy. Ryo powers down, shedding his armor and returning to his undergear, but collapses from the pain. Sage hurries to his side, pulls one of Ryo's arms around his shoulders, and gets him out of the way just as Talpa's fist strikes down. Halo reassures him that they will claim victory. On the other side of the battlefield, things aren't looking too good as Talpa's hand now slams directly into Cye. Kento cries out to him, and Rowen starts letting his arrows fly, making himself the target of Talpa's hand now. Strata does a pretty good job of dodging for a while, but is eventually struck. Talpa informs them that resistance is futile. Meanwhile, Mia and Yuli are once again riding on White Blaze as the tiger rushes them away from the fighting. However, they are attacked by more Dynasty soldiers, and Mia is knocked off by one of their spears. Yuli screams for her. The soldiers advance, once again surrounding them on all sides. Talpa's hand slams down again, knocking all the Ronins to the ground from the shockwave. He manages to grab Rowen and slams him repeatedly into Cye's unmoving form. Kento launches another assault to get the hand to let go, but ends up getting slammed by Rowen himself. Ryo revives in time to watch as Talpa claims the Torrent and Strata Armors, along with their bearers. The Dynasty Emperor's second hand aims directly for the three remaining Ronin Warriors. Sage remarks on the loss of their friends. Kento angrily swears to avenge them. He unleashes his special attack and, while it seems to stop the hand for a moment, it's not enough to stop Hardrock from being taken, as well. Talpa laughs as he summons the three armors to him. Sage calls out to Kento, but it's no use. Talpa absorbs the three Ronin Armors, increasing his power even more. Ryo tells Halo to go after Talpa, but Sage refuses to abandon the other Ronin. He trusts that Wildfire can still help him. Talpa regains even more of his body due to the power of Torrent, Hardrock, and Strata. He reiterates that the Ronins won't be able to win this battle. Elsewhere, Mia and Yuli find themselves chained up by the Dynasty soldiers with White Blaze unable to help. It seems to be the end for them until Anubis arrives. He frees the two civilians and takes out a few soldiers. He states that it was the armors of the Ronin Warriors that told him where to go. Mia is very surprised to see the virtue of Loyalty appear on his forehead. The Armor of Wildfire once again activates to heal Ryo. Sage notices this and decides to go fight Talpa alone. However, at that moment, Talpa's hand once again breaks through the ground, separating the two Ronins. Sage watches as Ryo rolls down the roof, but Wildfire is able to grab onto the edge just before falling off completely. He starts to climb his way back up onto the roof as Talpa's gauntlet flies over them menacingly. Sage raises his Halo Sword, striking the hand as it flies overhead. Unfortunately, this only has the effect of shattering the blade, much to Sage's surprise. And while he's distracted, Talpa's fist comes down on top of him. Ryo reacts in horror as Sage is sent flying over the edge of the roof. Surrounded by static, the Warrior of Light accepts his fate as his armor is claimed by Talpa. Enraged, Ryo dons the Armor of Wildfire once again. Anubis jumps up onto the roof, determined to fight in the name of the Ancient One. Ryo accepts his help, and together, they launch an assault on the giant gauntlet. The two unleash their special attacks in unison, and their combined efforts stop Talpa's hand in it's tracks. Yuli cheers joyfully. Mia comments on their teamwork. Things take another turn for the worse, however, as Talpa's hand eventually regains the upper hand, pulling Anubis with it. The gauntlet rejoins with the rest of Talpa's body, and Anubis' armor is absorbed. Talpa has emerged from the castle, eight of the nine armors in his grasp and his victory all but assured. Ryo stands on a spire close to the castle, the last Ronin Warrior standing in the fight to protect the Mortal Realm. Continuity *The Ronins entered Talpa's castle and started fighting their way to Talpa in "Raid on Talpa's Castle." *After confronting Talpa at the end of the previous episode, Ryo had been blasted out of the castle. *Anubis was recaptured by Talpa after he defected from the Dynasty in the episode "The Ancient's Battle." Title As was revealed by Talpa, the Dark Warlords, and the Ancient One, the nine armors belonging to the Ronin Warriors and the Warlords at one time belonged to Talpa. Not only does he reference this again, but he succeeds in capturing eight out of the nine, only the Wildfire Armor evading him. Cast ::: Ryo of the Wildfire - Matt Hill Rowen of the Strata / Sekhmet — Ward Perry Cye of the Torrent / Sage of the Halo — Michael Donovan Kento of Hardrock — Jason Gray-Stanford Mia — Lalainia Lindbjerg Yuli — Christopher Turner Talpa — Mina E. Mina Anubis — Paul Dobson Kale — Richard Newman Dais — Matt Smith Narrator — David Kaye Quotes "Not a chance, fang face!" : — Cye protects Ryo from Sekhmet. "You missed us!" : — Yuli taunts the Dynasty soldiers as White Blaze dodges their spears. "Enough! I will no longer obey Talpa's evil commands! Ronins, I am one of you!" : — Anubis breaks free to join the fight. Anubis: "I must complete the Ancient One's prophecy." Ryo: "The Ancient One's power, it's coming from you, isn't it?" : — Anubis and Ryo, foreshadowing Anubis' future role. "Ryo is left alone to battle Talpa, and the future of Man rests on the outcome." : — The Narrator tells it like it is. Cultural References * Goofs Animation Mistakes * When he's about to be absorbed by Talpa, a close up of Rowen shows that one of the horns on the top of his helmet has broken off, but in the very next shot, the horn appears to be whole. * As Kento is absorbed by Talpa, the symbol of his armor flashes on screen briefly for a moment. However, pausing at just the right time reveals that the symbol shown actually belongs to the Strata armor, not Hardrock. * Later, in the scene where Sage is being pounded into the ground by one of Talpa's fists, he's holding his Halo Sword, which is intact despite having been shattered prior to this shot. Dialogue Mistakes English Dub Mistakes *When Cye shouts out "Talpa, you're gonna pay!" as he's saving Ryo from the Emperor's hand, it sounds like it's actually Sage who's speaking. Both characters are portrayed by the same voice actor, Michael Donovan. Oops17broken.jpg Oops17fixed.jpg Oops17kentostrata.jpg 17b(277)breaks2.jpg Oops17swordheals.jpg Trivia * See Also *The Legend of the Armor Revealed Category:Episodes Category:Ronin Warriors